With the SAS and Other Animals

In 1970 at the height of the Cold War, the young Sandhurst-trained Sultan Qaboos of Oman, with secret British military backing, took on the communist rebels in a fierce but little known war. Along with regular British Army and 'contract' officers, the SAS played a key role in this bitterly fought but ultimately successful campaign.

The value of winning the 'Hearts and Minds' of the local population was quickly recognised and this is where a select band of Royal Army Veterinary Corps officers came in. The local economy was a primitive one based on agriculture and the author, freshly qualified and, by his own admission, somewhat naïve particularly in military matters, found himself solely responsible for the veterinary care of a territory the size of Hungary.

Attached to D Squadron, 22 SAS, Andrew Higgins learnt how to respond to the Jebali people's love and concern for their animals who provided their livelihood – goats, camels, sheep, horses, cattle, even bears, hunting birds and pedigree hunting dogs.

His first-hand experiences and anecdotes of life dealing with every level of Omani society from The Ruler to poor pastoralist farmers and their varied livestock make for wonderfully atmospheric and often amusing reading. In short, With the SAS and Other Animals is an unusual and potent mix of Special Forces action and veterinary experiences. Readers may well conclude that it really shouldn't have happened to a vet even in a desert war!

---

Some books that may interest you

Air War Market Garden: A Bridge Too Far By: Martin Bowman	Walking the Somme - Second Edition By: Paul Reed	The Sinking of RMS Tayleur By: Gill Hoffs
The German Army on the Western Front 1917-1918 By: David Bilton	Survivors of Stalingrad By: Reinhold Busch Introduction by: Roger Moorhouse	Flight Through the Ages By: The Guild of Aviation Artists
Empty Sky By: Colin Higgs, Bruce Vigar	Early Ships and Seafaring: Water Transport Beyond Europe By: Sean McGrail	The War of Atonement By: Chaim Herzog